|
on Cultural Economics |
|
Issue of 2025–11–17
seven papers chosen by Roberto Zanola, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale |
| By: | I. Etzo; L. Ciucci |
| Abstract: | This study investigates the competitiveness and efficiency of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) within the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) in Italy, using a comprehensive firm-level dataset from 2019 to 2023. We estimate Total Factor Productivity (TFP) to analyze firm performance, addressing endogeneity concerns through panel fixed-effects models and employing a Translog production function for flexible input elasticity. Our findings reveal significant spatial heterogeneity, with central and north-western regions exhibiting higher CCI productivity than southern areas. Furthermore, we uncover disparities related to firm size, age, and specialization within Creative versus Cultural domains. The largest and oldest CCI firms show a higher TFP. The Creative industry demonstrates greater productivity than the Cultural industry. We provide evidence that manufacturing-oriented CCI tend to exhibit lower productivity compared to service-oriented CCI. The results underscore the importance of targeted policies to address regional disparities and sectorspecific challenges within the CCI ecosystem, promoting innovation and sustainable growth. |
| Keywords: | Cultural and creative industries;total factor productivity;SMEs;Italian regions |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cns:cnscwp:202514 |
| By: | Carolina Caetano; Gregorio S. Caetano; Débora Mazetto; Meghan Skira |
| Abstract: | This paper documents video consumption among school-aged children in the U.S. and explores its impact on human capital development. Video watching is common across all segments of society, yet surprisingly little is known about its developmental consequences. With a bunching identification strategy, we find that an additional hour of daily video consumption has a negative impact on children’s noncognitive skills, with harmful effects on both internalizing behaviors (e.g., depression) and externalizing behaviors (e.g., social difficulties). We find a positive effect on math skills, though the effect on an aggregate measure of cognitive skills is smaller and not statistically significant. These findings are robust and largely stable across most demographics and different ways of measuring skills and video watching. We find evidence that for Hispanic children, video watching has positive effects on both cognitive and noncognitive skills—potentially reflecting its role in supporting cultural assimilation. Interestingly, the marginal effects of video watching remain relatively stable regardless of how much time children spend on the activity, with similar incremental impacts observed among those who watch very little and those who watch for many hours. |
| JEL: | C24 D12 I20 J13 |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34466 |
| By: | F. Atzori; L. Corazzini; A. Guarnieri |
| Abstract: | Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative technology, capable of reshaping production processes, professions, and domains traditionally regarded as uniquely human—such as art and creativity. This study examines the relationship between AI, creativity, and personality traits, with the goal of understanding how individual differences influence perceptions, attitudes, and the utilization of AI. A total of 260 participants completed a comprehensive questionnaire assessing AI usage and perception, personality traits, and multiple creativity tasks, including the Divergent Association Task, the Alternative Uses Task, and a constrained narrative task. Our results reveal that creativity increases with reflective, moderate engagement with AI, while both minimal and excessive reliance reduce creative performance. Cluster analysis identifies four distinct attitudinal profiles toward AI—Enthusiasts, Alarmed, Critics, and Cautious—differing in trust, perceived risks, and frequency of use. Openness to Experience and Agreeableness emerge as key traits that predict these profiles - openness is positively associated with the creative and balanced use of AI, whereas high agreeableness correlates with more cautious or risk-averse perceptions. Overall, creativity thrives when curiosity and critical reflection coexist, suggesting that human originality benefits most from mindful, selective interaction with AI rather than from full automation. |
| Keywords: | creativity;Perception of AI;Personality traits |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cns:cnscwp:202516 |
| By: | Ana Flávia Machado (Cedeplar/UFMG); Mariangela Furlan Antigo (Cedeplar/UFMG); Izabel Cristina Carvalho de Oliveira (Cedeplar/UFMG); Lucas Ribas (Cedeplar/UFMG); Lorena Ferrari Auareck (UFMG); Cinthia Santos Silva (Cedeplar/UFMG); Glenda Nunes Gomes (UFV) |
| Abstract: | The model developed by Throsby in A work-preference model of artist behaviour, in 1994, has given rise to a series of theoretical and empirical works to assess whether the insertion of artists as workers is due to non-pecuniary issues such as acceptance by peers and fans, idiosyncratic life, and free expression of their creativity vis-à-vis pecuniary returns. In some studies, it is shown that, on average, artists are more satisfied with their work than other professionals, as exposed by Bille et al. (2013) and Bille, Løyland, and Holm (2017). Inspired by Bille et al. (2017), this paper investigates the labor supply of artists, aged between 18 and 65 years old, residing in urban areas in Brazil. The research covers the period from 2016 to 2022. The data source is the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (PNADC/ IBGE), organized as a rotating panel with five visits to the same household. The period between 2016 and 2022 is considered in the present study. The results show that levels of low earnings in other jobs have a positive relationship with artistic work hours and a negative relationship with leisure hours, while higher wage levels show an inverse relationship with leisure hours. |
| Keywords: | artist, labor, supply, urban, Brazil |
| JEL: | Z1 J44 E24 |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdp:texdis:td686 |
| By: | Kevin Zielnicki; Guy Aridor; Aurelien Bibaut; Allen Tran; Winston Chou; Nathan Kallus |
| Abstract: | Personalized recommendation systems shape much of user choice online, yet their targeted nature makes separating out the value of recommendation and the underlying goods challenging. We build a discrete choice model that embeds recommendation-induced utility, low-rank heterogeneity, and flexible state dependence and apply the model to viewership data at Netflix. We exploit idiosyncratic variation introduced by the recommendation algorithm to identify and separately value these components as well as to recover model-free diversion ratios that we can use to validate our structural model. We use the model to evaluate counterfactuals that quantify the incremental engagement generated by personalized recommendations. First, we show that replacing the current recommender system with a matrix factorization or popularity-based algorithm would lead to 4% and 12% reduction in engagement, respectively, and decreased consumption diversity. Second, most of the consumption increase from recommendations comes from effective targeting, not mechanical exposure, with the largest gains for mid-popularity goods (as opposed to broadly appealing or very niche goods). |
| Keywords: | personalization, recommender systems, streaming platforms |
| JEL: | L82 C25 D83 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12257 |
| By: | Sascha O. Becker; Jeanet Sinding Bentzen; Chun Chee Kok |
| Abstract: | This paper provides a survey of the literature on gender differences in religiosity and the influence of religion on gender-related economic and social outcomes. Part I examines why women tend to be more religious than men, discussing central explanations. Part II explores how religion impacts various gender-related outcomes, such as gender norms and attitudes, education, labor market participation, fertility, health, legal institutions and reforms, and discrimination. Within each domain, we distinguish between effects driven by individual religiosity (intensity of religious practice or belief) and those driven by their religious denomination. We synthesize findings from numerous studies, highlighting data sources, measures of religion and gender outcomes, and empirical strategies. We focus on studies with credible causal identification—such as natural experiments, instrumental variable approaches, and policy changes—to uncover the impact of religion on outcomes. Correlational studies are also reviewed to provide context. Across studies, the evidence suggests that religious teachings and participation often reinforce traditional gender roles, affecting women’s education, labor force participation, and fertility choices, although there are important nuances and exceptions. We also document instances where secular reforms or religious movements have altered these outcomes. The survey concludes by identifying gaps in the literature and suggesting directions for future research. An important take-away from our review is that rigorous empirical studies are scarce, leaving room for novel causal studies in this field. |
| Keywords: | gender gap, religion, religiosity, gender norms, education, fertility, labor markets, cultural transmission |
| JEL: | Z12 J16 J24 I21 J13 Z13 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12256 |
| By: | Masaya Nishihata |
| Abstract: | Superstars often dominate key tasks because of their exceptional abilities, but this concentration of responsibility may unintentionally limit on-the-job learning opportunities for others. Using panel data from Major League Baseball (MLB), this study examines how superstar presence affects teammates' opportunities and career outcomes. To address potential endogeneity in team composition, we exploit plausibly exogenous variation in superstar availability caused by injuries. When a superstar is active in the same team-position unit, non-star teammates play significantly less. These short-term reductions in playing time extend to longer horizons: players who begin their careers alongside a superstar who remains active for a full season (i.e., not on the injured list) are about 1.7 times more likely to exit MLB earlier than comparable peers. A key mechanism is reduced skill development -- limited playing opportunities hinder subsequent growth in offensive performance. At the team level, greater dependence on superstars raises immediate productivity but magnifies performance declines after their departure, indicating a trade-off between short-term success and long-term adaptability. Overall, the findings suggest that while concentrating key roles in top performers boosts output in the short run, it can restrict others' development and retention. Similar dynamics may arise in other organizations that rely heavily on a few exceptional individuals. |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2511.07218 |